KDE Plasma 6.6 previewed in KDE Neon Unstable ahead of Feb. 17 release
KDE Plasma 6.6 is scheduled for an official release on Feb. 17, and ZDNET reviewer Jack Wallen tested the upcoming desktop by running KDE Neon Unstable in a virtual machine to preview the changes. The review says Plasma 6.6 will include improvements for displays, the user interface, security, some default apps being switched out, and the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, with an emphasis on polish.
Wallen reports he spun up Neon Unstable using KVM/Virt-Manager and initially needed to switch from BIOS to UEFI; after performing a system upgrade he was surprised the update required a reboot. He noticed notably smooth, “buttery” animations and an impressive login-screen fade animation.
Although 6.6 is expected to use a new KDM Login Manager, Neon Unstable was still using SDDM; Wallen says he is not sure why and suggests the new login manager might appear in the Developer edition. Plasma 6.6 does let you customize SDDM via Colors & Themes > Login Screen (SDDM). The reviewer enabled desktop effects such as Dim Inactive and Slide Back and found them smooth even at slower speeds, and observed that apps open quickly (he installed LibreOffice to test).
He also highlights a change that lets you select the default start menu and disable dark mode for the Application Dashboard. Wallen’s overall impression is that 6.6 is especially polished and he recommends upgrading once it is released.
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